Categories
NFL General

Sep 22 in Sports History: The Replacements


In 1987: Almost five years to the day of the previous work stoppage, the NFL players went on strike against the owners. Guess what was the heart of the issue again? After Week 3 was cancelled, the owners decided they didn’t want to take the financial hit of several lost games like they did in 1982. They hired replacement players to fill the rosters, and the Scabs took the field for three weeks, much to the dismay of coaches and fans. A few of the players actually stuck with NFL squads for years, like John Fourcade in New Orleans and Steve Bono in Pittsburgh (and later Kansas City). The players eventually caved; many crossed the picket lines early and the rest agreed to go back to work without a new CBA.

In 1991 Don Shula of the Miami Dolphins won his 300th career game with a 16-13 victory over Green Bay at Joe Robbie Stadium. Shula is the all-time winningest coach in NFL history, with 328 victories from 1963-1995. (The ESPN Pro Football Encyclopedia)

Categories
MLB General

MLB.com presents Take a Convict to School Day


Not to be outdone by the NFL and their “Take a Player to School” contest, MLB.com is offering you the chance to take Darryl Strawberry to school for an appearance of up to one hour.


This auction features the opportunity to have Darryl Strawberry come to YOUR school! The winning bidder of this auction will have the chance to have New York Legend Darryl Strawberry attend your school for a special appearance for up to an hour. Strawberry will also give a short speech to your school on valubable life lessons. Don’t miss out on this rare opportunity to have a super star like Daryl Strawberry come to YOUR school!

The opening bid was $250 and the current bid is… $260. Just for the sake of Strawberry’s self esteem, people better start bidding up this auction. (Remember, this is a guy who once told a judge he’d lost the will to live.) For a guy who used to make millions, if the price people are willing to pay for his appearance is less than what you’d take out of an ATM before a big Saturday night…. man that’s just sad.

Links:
[MLB.com]: Have New York Mets Legend Darryl Strawberry Come to your School
[Wikipedia]: For you youngins, the story of Darrl Strawberry

Categories
MLB General

More on the Pete Rose "apology" ball



Pete Rose is sad

Earlier this week, we told you about Pete Rose signing 300 balls to be auctioned off with the inscription “I’m sorry I bet on baseball”. The auction house was set to sell them for $1000 each. But why pay $1000 when you can get it direct from Charlie Hustle himself for only $349 (+ $4.99 S/H)?

And that’s not all! If you act now you can get it personalized with your name. If your name is Bob, they already have a ball ready for you. Now, who wants to be the first to order up one addressed to “God”?

Links:

[Pete Rose.com]: Pete Rose Personalized Autographed Baseball with “I’m Sorry I Bet on Baseball” Inscription

Categories
General Sports

Sep 21 2006 episode of Poor Man’s PTI

Welcome to another episode of Poor Man’s PTI. Next week is our football season preview but this week we’re still talking Entourage and baseball among other things.

You can download this week’s podcast directly (running time 35 mins) or subscribe to the feed.  

If you use iTunes, just click here and then click subscribe and iTunes will take care of the rest.

This week’s topics include:

  • Duquesne basketball shooting
  • Maurice Clarett
  • Officiating in the Oregon-Oklahoma game
  • NL/AL wild card races
  • Tiger Woods’ Wife
  • MVP race
  • Reggie Bush accepting gifts
  • Sports Illustrted article on A-Rod

Hope you guys enjoy the podcast.  If you did enjoy it, please give us a good rating below so we can rise up in the rankings. If you didn’t, send us an email ([email protected]) and give us some suggestions. Thanks for listening.

Categories
MLB General

The Full Count: Watch out for the Twins


1. The Most Dangerous Team: Going into the playoffs, the scariest team in the American League isn’t even a division leader. It is the Wild Card-leading Minnesota Twins, who have been rolling since the All Star break. Even with only one great starter in Johan Santana, their pitching staff has found a way to get the job done. Yesterday, Boof Bonser won his third straight decision to lead the Twins to an 8-2 victory over the Red Sox. Torri Hunter continues to be a man on a mission and has hit 5 homers and 15 RBIs in his last 10 games. Despite David Ortiz’s 50th homer of the year, the Red Sox lost again and are virtually out of the playoff hunt. The 90-61 Twins, meanwhile, will win the Wild Card barring a total collapse. Watch out for this team in the postseason.

2. The Last Battle: The Detroit-Chicago season series has finally come to a close. Chicago beat them 12 out of 19 times, but take out the first five games between these teams and they each won 7. The Tigers got the last laugh, as they won the final series 2-1. They beat the White Sox 6-2 yesterday behind a strong outing from starter Jeremy Bonderman. Bonderman, who had been inconsistent recently and lost 4 of his last 5 decisions, pitched six innings, allowed two runs, and got just enough run support to get the job done. Pudge Rodriguez and Magglio Ordonez each homered for the Tigers, who got 12 hits and 5 runs off the White Sox’s best starter, Jon Garland. The ChiSox are 5.5 games out of the Wild Card with 10 games left to play, meaning they have virtually no chance. The Tigers are just holding off the Twins by a half game.

3. Tying it up: The Phillies had been looking for the Wild Card lead for a while, and now they’ve finally found it. The Phils tied the Dodgers and Padres, who each share the WC lead at this point. Philly beat the Cubs yesterday 6-2 behind an outstanding pitching performance by Brett Myers. Myers went for a complete game, allowing 2 runs and striking out 12 in the process. He got homeruns from Chas Utley and Pat Burrell, which was enough for the Phils to win. But can they hold onto the Wild Card? Probably; the team plays Florida six times, Washington three times, and Houston once the rest of the season. If they take seven of those games, the Phillies will make the postseason.

4. Falling in: Would you celebrate in this circumstance? The Yankees lost 3-2 to the Blue Jays yesterday, but they clinched the AL East division title via a Red Sox loss. While it’s hard to celebrate after a loss, this would be the best time to do so. This is the team’s ninth straight year winning the division, and they certainly deserve it. Despite the losses of Gary Sheffield and Hideki Matsui in addition to a somewhat mediocre pitching staff, this team is as good as any. The Yanks are 92-60 and should be a force come the playoffs. If only people would just shut up and realize that A-Rod is a damn good player. He has more RBIs than any other thirdbaseman in the game. With 34 homers, 116 driven in, and 14 steals, A-Rod is still one of the best all-round threats in baseball. The media should just let him play like everybody else.

5. Wait till next year: The Braves are officially done this year. But what will the team look like in 2007? Their bullpen at least will have a closer. That’s because Bob Wickman just re-signed with the team through next season. This means they probably won’t be amongst the league leaders in blown saves anymore. Wickman has saved 15 games in 16 chances for the Braves this year and has a 1.19 ERA since joining the team. The team’s biggest problem will be a former strength: starting pitching. They have no one reliable outside of John Smoltz, and he is getting older. There’s one thing for sure though: the team will not be as bad as this year’s mediocre 74-78 club.

Categories
NFL General

Sep 21 in Sports History: Monday Night Football debuts


In 1970: An experimental prime time TV show called Monday Night Football made its debut on ABC television (although games were played on Monday nights occasionally in the 1960s). The first “episode” featured a struggling Joe Namath and the Jets losing to the Browns in Cleveland 31-21. It was a sloppy game which featured a Monday Night record 161 penalty yards that still stands today. The game presentation, which featured the first three-man booth (Keith Jackson, Howard Cosell and Don Meredith), was also the first to use multiple camera angles, instant replays and graphics of statistics that we’re used to today. The experiment was an instant success, with 35 percent of the American viewing audience tuning in. MNF lasted for 35 years on ABC until it switched to ESPN for the 2006 season.

In 1982: Following a Monday Night game between the Packers and Giants, the NFL Players Association began a 57-day strike. The main issue was revenue sharing between the players and owners. The season was reduced to nine games and a different playoff format was used. Instead of traditional division play, the top eight teams in the conference standings qualified for the playoffs, with 1-8 seeding. The 8-1 Redskins won the Super Bowl over the 7-2 Dolphins.

(Courtesy of the 2006 ESPN Pro Football Encyclopedia)

Categories
Golf

Tiger says: lay off my wife


Tiger Woods is furious at The Dubliner, an Irish magazine that called his wife “filth” and published a photo of Elin Nordegren nude that wasn’t really Elin Nordegren. A columnist for the Dubliner protests that he didn’t know that photos that have been floating around the internet of a “topless Elin Nordegren” are really some other blond with large cans. He put the photo next to copy that read “Most American golfers are married to women who cannot keep their clothes on in public. Is it too much to ask that they leave them at home for the Ryder Cup? Consider the evidence. Tiger Woods’ wife can be found in a variety of sweaty poses on porn sites.”

Tiger Tiger Woods yall was not amused.


My wife, yes, she has been a model prior, and she did do some bikini photos. But to link her to porn Web sites and such is unacceptable, and I do not accept that at all. Neither does our team.

The Dubliner responded by issuing a lame apology that the piece was satire. I realize the Ryder Cup stirs up some American-European rivaly and fun but this was really weak. Do you really want to rile up Tiger? He’s going to destroy the Euros now.

By the way, how could the Dubliner possibly not know the topless photo wasn’t of Elin Nordegren? If such a photo existed, we’d have found it by now. After all, she is a woman we love.

Links:
[AP]: Woods rips Irish mag for story on wife

[Fox News]: Irish Magazine Calls Tiger Woods’ Wife ‘Filth’

Categories
New York Yankees

Is this how the Yankees gear up for a postseason run?


The Sports Illustrated cover story about A-Rod and his struggles as a Yankee is out today and it doesn’t paint A-Rod or his teammates’ lack of support (despite what they say) in a very flattering way.

The short version goes like this:

  • A-Rod is a baseball narcissist that loves his numbers more than he cares about winning.
  • Jason Giambi told Joe Torre to stop “coddling” A-Rod.
  • Unidentified teammate: “I think he ought to get his eyes checked. I’m not kidding. I don’t think he’s seeing the ball.”
  • Another teammate: “It was always about the numbers in [Seattle and Texas] for him. And that doesn’t matter here. Winning is all you’re judged on here.”
  • Another teammate: “I honestly think he might be afraid of the ball.”
  • A-Rod basically ignores his hitting coach Don Mattingly
  • Giambi challenged A-Rod on his lack of big hits and A-Rod responded that he was finee and got 5 hits in Boston. Giambi told him, “You f—— call those hits?” Giambi said. “You had two f—— dinkers to rightfield and a ball that bounced over the third baseman! Look at how many pitches you missed!”
  • A-Rod thinks the only reason people hate him is because of his contract and often compares his stats to his peers which is a baseball no-no.

It’s going to be a rough October and offseason for A-Rod unless he delivers in the clutch and the Yankees win the World Series.

Categories
Atlanta Falcons

Falcons sign Morten Andersen



The kick that won the NFC

Fantasy Alert! Fantasy Alert! OK… maybe not. But Morten Andersen has rejoined the Atlanta Falcons to handle the short field goal duties. The Falcons were understandably unhappy with their current kicker Michael Koening after missing 6 out of 8 attempted in the first two games of this season. Koenen is the punter that won the FG kicking duties by being spectacular in preseason but terrible when the games actually counted.


I’m coming to a great organization with a lot of outstanding players and coaches,” Andersen said. “I plan on helping them continue to build on the success they’ve already had this season and also help out Michael [Koenen] in any way I can.

If Andersen can remain on the roster until next season, he will surpass George Blanda as the oldest person ever in the NFL, which Andersen stated was his goal. No word on whether Koenen has been sharpening his knives today.

Links:
[Atlana Journal-Constitution]: Falcons bring back Andersen

Categories
MLB General

The Full Count: Padres strike back



Padres take 1 game lead

1. The Western Roller Coaster: On Monday the Dodgers took the NL West lead in incredible fashion. Yesterday, the lead was back in the hands of the Padres. Can somebody just clinch this one already? The Padres defeated the Diamondbacks 5-2 in what was pretty much your average game. Mike Cameron and Adrian Gonzalez homered for San Diego, and starter Clay Hensley remained hot with another win. Trevor Hoffman recovered from his Monday meltdown with his 40th save of the year. He’s at 476 career saves, two behind the all time record, and yet this is still not a more major story. This bugs us. Wouldn’t somebody chasing the all time homerun or wins record get unprecedented attention? And yet Hoffman is still pitching in relative obscurity in a pure case of East Coast bias. Whatever. Hoffman’s Padres are back on top.

2. Next to clinch: Yesterday the New York Mets clinched the first playoff spot and the NL East division title. Today the New York Yankees can do the same. Their magic number is just 1 after they beat the Blue Jays for the second straight day. Bobby Abreu hit a two-run homer in the seventh to break a 3-3 tie. Hideki Matsui, who returned from the DL a couple weeks ago, hit another homerun. He has two homers, five runs driven in, and is hitting .409 since his return from the DL. The Yanks won 6-3 to take their fifth straight game against the Blue Jays. They still have the AL’s best record.

3. Setback: The Tigers could have virtually eliminated the White Sox with a win against them yesterday. But with Freddy Garcia’s marvelous start and the usual homer-happy offense, the Sox crushed the Tigers 7-0. Garcia pitched 8 innings, allowing just two walks and one hit. It was his second straight eight inning, no run start as Garcia improved to 15-9. Offensively, Jim Thome hit his 41st homer of the season and Jermaine Dye hit his 43rd. AJ Pierzynski added four RBIs, and the ChiSox improved to five games back of the Tigers. However, the Twins won, so they are still four games behind them.

4. The Winners once again: The St. Louis Cardinals are just games away from clinching their third straight NL Central title. They’re seven games up on the Reds after both teams won yesterday. The Cards shellacked the Brew Crew 12-2, with good work on the mound and in the batter’s box. Jeff Weaver, who has slightly improved from his pitiful state earlier in the year, improved to 4-4 since joining St. Louis. He pitched six decent innings and got plenty of help from the team’s bats. Albert Pujols, who ranks in the NL’s top 10 in virtually every category possible, went 2-5 and had 2 RBIs. Ronnie Belliard went 3-4 with 4 runs, and Aaron Miles had a 4-6, three-RBI day. The Cards are 80-69 and have looked pretty good this month. They’ll go into the playoffs as a dangerous threat to the supremacy of the Mets.

5. Teams still alive: Here are the only teams still alive mathematically for the postseason. In the AL, the Yankees, Tigers, and A’s are leading their divisions, while the Red Sox (at least right now), Angels (only barely), White Sox, and Twins still have a shot. In the NL, the Mets are in, while the Cards are close. The Dodgers and Padres both refuse to claim the NL West, while the Phillies, Giants, and even the Marlins still have hope left. So there you have it. Those are the only teams still worth paying attention to.